Jul
2012
Shelter Dog Training Through Business Lenses. Guest Post.
Please welcome this guest post from Eric Borgard.
A rather somber fact: approximately 5 to 7 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year, according to the ASPCA. Taking a deeper dive and understand why exactly pets end up in shelters the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP) conducted a yearlong study that produced some interesting and eye-opening findings.
For example, the top three reasons for dog relinquishment are moving, the landlord not allowing pets, and having too many animals in the household. Taking it even a step further, the researchers found that a whopping 96% percent of all dogs surrendered had no obedience training. That’s right, 96%.
Finding a permanent home for shelter dogs is no easy task. If looking through a business lens, in economic parlance the supply far outpaces the demand and, as heartbreaking as it is, many dogs are euthanized. Too many.
Now, I understand shelters are understaffed, underfunded, and overpopulated. I’m also grateful for volunteers who go above and beyond for completely selfless reasons and individuals who are nice enough to make donations. Thank you, I certainly appreciate your dedication. That said, a focus on behavior evaluation and basic training -I’m talking sit, stay, etc.- will certainly make the dogs more…marketable.
That’s right, marketable. A term that’s rarely used when it comes to dogs (for good reason). Now, at the end of the day I do understand it’s a dog and not a commodity, product, or service that’s being sold for profit. But I also believe in unearthing low hanging solutions, creative or not, through quantitative data.
With the vast majority of shelter dogs having no training, I see an opportunity. Getting back to the marketability, a well behaved dog that understands basic commands, is housetrained, and won’t do damage to the house is much more attractive to prospective buyers (individuals interested in adopting a shelter dog) and, accordingly, is much more likely to be given a permanent home than a dog sans any basic, formal training. With a lower cost of entrance these buyers/shoppers are much more likely to pull the trigger, making an important decision by saving the life of a dog.
What’s more, basic training in conjunction with a high level education campaign can help rebrand shelter dogs as a whole for what they truly are: unfortunate victims of circumstance. Sadly, the current ‘untrained animal that no one wants, must have something wrong with it’ connotation is alive and is in itself a barrier to entry itself for many. By changing the entire definition and concept of shelter dogs the net will be casted much wider, what with significantly more people inclined to rescue a dog.
There’s no question that shelters need help and all dogs warrant a permanent home. Shelter training is just one of many solutions to help make this a reality.
Eric Bogard is a writer for Pet Dreams, a designer of high quality, affordable dog beds. He is a fan and advocate of all things Pit Bulls, thoroughly enjoying the constant presence of his well trained, adopted clown in black and white clothing named Pepper.
Stop by Pet Dreams Facebook Page where they are giving away 2 free dog beds for a winning caption on a very adorable picture that contains 2 little butts!
Mango Momma
July 22, 2012 at 8:04 am (331 days ago)Hear hear! I can’t tell you how many times I have come across first time dog owners who get a shelter dog and expect him or her to come home and be just like some actor movie dog. They are ill prepared for the adjustment period and training required. I bet with the right PR campaign, shelters could even hold scheduled obedience classes with volunteers working the dogs just like at a real school. Not sure how they would manage the whole housebreaking thing.
Another thing that would be wonderful is if they could train all dogs to be comfortable in crates.
Mango Momma
Eric @ Pet Dreams
July 23, 2012 at 9:14 am (330 days ago)I totally agree with the wrong expectations/ignorance going into dog ownership. Education coupled with best practices realized through research is bound to change things for the better.
Mango Momma
July 22, 2012 at 8:05 am (331 days ago)P.S. One of the local rescue organizations here actually has free training classes for new adopters.
Finn
July 22, 2012 at 8:44 am (331 days ago)I’ve never thought of it as marketability, that’s an interesting thought!
Bailey
July 22, 2012 at 10:42 am (331 days ago)People don’t like the word, but marketability would increase the number of dogs that leave and stay in long term housing. Behavior training won’t make home loss or financial issues disappear, but it will decrease the number of dogs who have trouble staying in homes. Finding volunteers that are able to work with shelter dogs to teach them basic skills, work on behavior challenges, and screen and address challenges they might experience in the real world makes returns for behavior challenges decrease. It isn’t easy to find those volunteers, but when you can do it, it does make those dogs more likely to leave and stay gone in a healthy way.
Our shelties came from foster care through a breed rescue. Bailey was a puppy that was housebroken by his foster Mom. Can you imagine getting a housebroken puppy? We thought we had won the lottery. We would have housebroken him ourselves if needed, but it certainly made the adjustment easier. Since she was caring for the dog in her home while waiting for him to be ready for his new home I suspect getting him to go outside rather than in her home was also a benefit for her as well.
Eric @ Pet Dreams
July 23, 2012 at 9:15 am (330 days ago)Couldn’t agree more, and thanks for the comment!
melF
July 22, 2012 at 12:41 pm (331 days ago)Great post Jen. I’m good with “marketable”. We used it in the shelter too. A trained dog is a more adoptable dog. Also not surprised that most shelter dogs are untrained (although the 96% was shocking) and also not surprised that “moving” was at the top of the list. Saw it all of the time. I always wondered about that one. So if you are moving do you think about leaving your child behind too? I really don’t get it – unless you are forced from your home due to the economic crisis and have to move to an apartment.
Jessica @ YouDidWhatWithYourWeiner
July 22, 2012 at 1:34 pm (331 days ago)Well, “marketable” is just calling the kettle black. Marketing is what sells stuff….or finds dogs homes. Some people who are super sensitive to any connotation that a dog is an “item” won’t like it but without and open mind the opportunity presented here will never get off the ground. Doing the same thing over and over will only yield the same results. What shelter dogs need is a radical change in the program.
It was hard for me to keep reading past the point that said “the top three reasons that dogs are surrendered are moving, the landlord not allowing pets, and having too many animals in the household”. I know there are some exceptions, but it AT LEAST 50% of the cases these are excuses for the dog owner being lazy. Landlord doesn’t allow dogs? Find another place. Have too many animals? YOUR choices are what got you there in the first place. Moving is the one I can see the most challenges with but still. Moving? Uh…take the dog with you. The lack of personal responsibility in todays society makes me so mad sometimes. OK…off my soap box
Eric @ Pet Dreams
July 23, 2012 at 9:20 am (330 days ago)I came away with the same thoughts about the laziness, etc. However, researchers are well aware that qualitative surveys aren’t always accurate as people don’t like to look ‘bad’. Maybe moving, the landlord, etc. are just excuses for something, well, else. I don’t know.
What I do know is that if I was moving I’d do everything I could to take my pup along, no questions asked.
Crystal
July 22, 2012 at 2:39 pm (331 days ago)When I adopted Pallo from the Linn County Dog Control, I received a certificate good for one course of obedience classes with the Linn County Kennel Club. I thought it was such a great idea for a newly adopted dog, and that a certificate like that would make it so much more likely for the average adopted to take some basic classes with their new dog. I would love to see more local Kennel Clubs partner up with their local shelters to offer this kind of service.
Pamela
July 22, 2012 at 3:34 pm (331 days ago)So people say they’re turning their dogs in because they’re moving, their landlord said no, or they have too many other pets. But the 96% figure for not being trained suggests other reasons for being relinquished.
Our local SPCA (first open admission, no kill shelter in the country) does work on training dogs while they’re in the shelter. And they offer training classes at a steep discount to people who adopt pups from the shelter. But very few people take advantage.
Here’s my thought: Add a refundable deposit onto the adoption fee. If you complete a training program within four months of adopting your dog, you get the deposit back.
2 brown dawgs
July 22, 2012 at 4:41 pm (331 days ago)I would love to see obedience training for shelter dogs. That and honest evaluations of temperament. I think if shelters had more honest information for potential owners other than the standard boiler plate that is on just about every petfinder page, more people might consider shelter dogs.
Leslie
July 22, 2012 at 5:36 pm (331 days ago)One of the rescues I work with requires evidence of training within a certain time frame after placing a dog. (And they get trashed for it.)
If local training centers will offer their services as a reduced rate, that would be great. I know of only a few trainers who do.
But put me in Jessica’s corner upthread – I think the expectation that the shelter train a dog is noble but a little unrealistic. They’re already short-”staffed” and under-funded and everyone has an opinion of what they’re doing wrong and what they should be doing instead (educate, advocate, legislate, litigate!)
But there has to be some responsibility on the part of the owner somewhere. The dogs are given up because no one trained them and no one wants them because they’re not trained. When do the people who actually own the dogs start to be considered part of the problem?
Eric @ Pet Dreams
July 23, 2012 at 9:27 am (330 days ago)I agree that that there needs to be responsibility on the part of the owner -which is more toward the root, but no education campaign, law, or whatever will completely nip it in the bud. Accordingly all angles need to be considered.
Jen
July 22, 2012 at 9:20 pm (331 days ago)96%? Oh. My. God.
People like that don’t deserve dogs. They should just get pet rocks. Or maybe robots that look like dogs.
By all means, shelter dogs should receive training at the shelter, and I do think that post-adoption training classes are a great idea.
Misty Shores Chesapeakes
July 23, 2012 at 7:12 pm (330 days ago)You nailed it again with your post, well said! I love the idea of basic obedience training. I have a friend who works for Michigan Humane Society in the vet clinic part that is adjacent to the shelter and I don’t know how many times I have heard her say a dog was returned because of behavior.
Dan
August 13, 2012 at 10:22 pm (309 days ago)Great Post! The bottom line is when you can learn what will motivate your dog, you will have more success in your training. You need to learn what your dog likes, and what he responds well to.